The City of Defiance Water Division has prepared the following report to provide information to you, the consumer, on the quality of our drinking water. Included within this report is general health information, water quality test results, how to participate in deci-sions concerning your drinking water and water system contacts. Please share this information with other water consumers, such as renters and customers, who may not have received a copy of this report by mail.

The City of Defiance operates under a

license from the Ohio EPA. Our Public

Water System Identification (PWSID) is

OH2000111 and is valid until January

30, 2014.

What’s Inside? How Do I Get Involved?

You are invited to attend the City Council meet-ings to voice your concerns about your drinking wa-ter. City Council meetings are open to the public and are held at 631 Perry Street on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm.

You can also help by keeping the streams and rivers clean and reporting any potential spills or pol-lution sources. Accidental or unauthorized releases of contaminants to the air, land or water such as spills, releases, intentional dumping or emissions can be reported to Ohio EPA 24-hour EMERGENCY RESPONSE hotline at 800-282-9378. You can also call the Water Treatment Plant at 419-782-1886.

Need More Information?

For more information on water in Defiance or to schedule a group tour, please contact:

Adam J McDowell, Water Superintendent

1356 Baltimore Street, Defiance, Ohio 43512

Phone: 419-782-1886 Fax: 419-782-6510

Email: amcdowell@cityofdefiance.com

If you would like to take a tour of the Water Treatment Plant, get a small group together

(friends, family, church, school, 4-H, or whatever) then call the Water Superintendent to schedule a

date and time.

For more information about water related issues, please visit the following sites online:

Ohio EPA Public Interest Center at: www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/

American Water Works Association at: www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/

2012 Annual

Water Quality Report

City of Defiance

Water

Treatment

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What'sNew

As another year passes by, I am forced to look

back at quite possibly the busiest year this depart-

ment has ever had. This last year was a roller coaster

for us, with new projects that were finished as well

as, disappointments such as the taste and odor event

we experienced last summer. The challenges we face

are constantly evolving as our abilities to correct

them are as well.

Each year the standards that safe water is judged

by become stricter. This creates a challenge for water

professionals, to produce the best quality water at a

reasonable cost to the consumer. Beginning January

1, 2013, Defiance fell under a new round of regula-

tions for Disinfection By-Products. All efforts are

being made to try to comply with these new limits.

Much attention is being placed on the distribution

system this year. In addition to water line replace-

ment projects that are planned, studies are being

done to optimize the system to reduce TTHM’s being

produced after the water leaves the Plant. These

future projects will involve trying to find ways to

reduce the age of the water in the system as well as

aeration of the water towers. This is part of our strat-

egy to maintain compliance with the new disinfec-

tion by-products rule.

This year we are also working on rehabilitation

projects in the treatment plant as well. Repeating

last year, we are scheduled to refurbish two more of

our six filters this year, and we are having another

clarifier repainted also. These projects and others in

the plant will not only improve treatment but will

also extend the life of our facilities.

In 2012, the Water Plant treated 1.284 billion

gallons of water, with an average daily flow of 3.51

million gallons. This was nearly a 10% increase

from last year. Our peak daily flow was 5.13 million

gallons. The distribution system delivers the treated

water to City of Defiance customers and the sur-

rounding area through more than 111 miles of water-

lines. Defiance also supplies water to Christi Mead-

ows, Brunersburg and Ayersille. These satellite sys-

tems should receive a report similar to this from

their system managers.

We welcome your comments and questions when

they arise. Our contact information is provided on

the front page of this report.

Defiance Reservoir Amenities

Whether it is a lazy day fishing, or a game of disc

golf, or maybe even a long run, the reservoir adds

lots of recreation opportunity. Two new shelter

houses were added in 2012 and plans are still being

developed for additional facilities. The City, in con-

nection with several local citizens, has established a

reservoir subcommittee to determine how best to

utilize the reservoir and surrounding acreage. The

Subcommittee is currently looking for funding to

help with these improvements. If you would like to

get involved, or are interested in information on

funding a future project, contact Rob Cereghin, Ser-

vice Director at 419-784-2745

Where Does My Water Come From?

Defiance uses surface water from the Maumee

River and the Upper Maumee Watershed. An esti-

mated 57% of Ohio’s population gets its drinking

water from surface water sources. Water from the

Maumee River is pumped through a 30” pipe to the

reservoir located on Precision Way. Here the water

has a chance to settle, providing the water plant with

a more consistent water quality. The water then

flows by gravity through a 42” pipe to the Water

Plant for treatment. This allows the reservoir to act

as a pretreatment basin and as an alternate source of

supply during times when large amounts of silt and

other contaminants such as nitrates and ammonia

can be washed into the river making the water hard

to treat.

Source Water Assessment and

Watershed Protection The City of Defiance public water system uses

surface water drawn from an intake on the Maumee

River. For the purposes of source water assess-

ments, in Ohio all surface waters are considered to

be susceptible to contamination. By their nature,

surface waters are readily accessible and can be con-

taminated by chemicals and pathogens which may

rapidly arrive at the public drinking water intake

with little warning or time to prepare. The City of

Defiance’s drinking water source protection area

contains potential contaminant sources such as agri-

culture, home construction, industrial and commer-

cial businesses, septic systems, wastewater treat-

ment plants, roadways and railways.

The City of Defiance’s public water system treats

the water to meet drinking water quality standards,

but no single treatment technique can address all

potential contaminants. The potential for water

quality impacts can be further decreased by imple-

menting measures to protect the Maumee River.

More detailed information is provided in the City

of Defiance’s Drinking Water Source Assessment

report. Requests for a copy of the 21 page report

must be made in writing to the City of Defiance Wa-

ter Superintendent.

The City of Defiance is currently working with the

Upper-Maumee Watershed Partnership, which is a

group of local agencies, businesses and citizens con-

cerned about protecting the environment and our

source of drinking water. If you are interested in

participating or just learning more, contact the Defi-

ance Water Plant at 419-782-1886 or Jason Roehrig

at the Defiance County Soil and Water Conservation

District office at 419-782-8751.

What are Some Sources of Contamina-

tion to Drinking Water?

The sources of drinking water both tap water and

bottled water includes rivers, lakes, streams, ponds,

reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over

the surface of the land or through the ground, it dis-

solves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some

cases, radioactive material, and can pick up sub-

stances resulting from the presence of animals or

from human activity.

Contaminants that may be present in source wa-

ter include: (A) Microbial contaminants, such as

viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage

treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural live-

stock operations and wildlife; (B) Inorganic con-

taminants, such as salts and metals, which can be

naturally-occurring or result from urban storm wa-

ter runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater dis-

charges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming;

(C) Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from

a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm

water runoff, and residential uses; (D) Organic

chemical contaminants, including synthetic and

volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of

industrial processes and petroleum production, and

can also come from gas stations, urban storm water

runoff, and septic systems; and (E) Radioactive con-

taminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be

the result of oil and gas production and mining ac-

tivities.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink,

USEPA prescribes regulations which limit the

amount of certain contaminants in water provided

by public water systems. FDA regulations establish

limits for contaminants in bottled water which must

provide the same protection for public health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may rea-

sonably be expected to contain at least small

amounts of some contaminants. The presence of

contaminants does not necessarily indicate that wa-

ter poses a health risk. More information about con-

taminants and potential health effects can be ob-

tained by calling the Environmental Protection

Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-

4791).

Who Needs to Take Special Precautions? Some people may be more vulnerable to contami-

nants in drinking water than the general population.

Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with

cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have

undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/

AIDS or other immune system disorders, some eld-

erly, and infants can be particularly at risk from in-

fection. These people should seek advice about

drinking water from their health care providers.

EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen

the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other

microbial contaminants are available from the Safe

Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Fluoride and Infants

The following information is from the

American Dental Association:

Since fluoride levels in both tap and bottled water

can vary, parents and caregivers should first consult

with their pediatrician, family physician or dentist

on the most appropriate water to use in their area to

mix infant formula. Some children may have special

medical needs, so be sure to ask your family physi-

cian or pediatrician whether water used for infant

formula should be sterilized.

Specific Contaminant Information

Fluoride

Some people who drink water containing fluoride

well in excess of the MCL over many years could get

bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the

bones. Children may get mottled or discolored teeth.

For more information on water fluoridation, go to

www.fluoridealert.org.

Atrazine

Some people who drink water containing atrazine

well in excess of the MCL over many years could

experience problems with their cardiovascular sys-

tem or reproductive difficulties. For more informa-

tion on atrazine go to:

www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/atrazine.htm

Turbidity

Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water and

is an indication of the effectiveness of our filtration

system. The turbidity limit set by the EPA is 0.3 in

95% of the daily samples and shall not exceed 1 NTU

at any time. As reported on the contaminant table,

the Defiance Water Plant’s highest recorded turbid-

ity result for 2012 was 0.24 NTU and lowest

monthly percentage of samples meeting the turbidity

limits was 100%.

Lead

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious

health problems, especially for pregnant women and

young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily

from materials and components associated with ser-

vice lines and home plumbing. Defiance Water Divi-

sion is responsible for providing high quality drink-

ing water, but cannot control the variety of materials

used in plumbing components. When your water has

been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the

potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for

thirty seconds to two minutes before using water

for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about

lead in your water, you may wish to have your water

tested. A list of laboratories certified in the State of

Ohio to test for lead may be found at http://

www.epa.state.oh.us/ddagw or by calling 614-644-

2752. Information on lead in drinking water, testing

methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure

is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at

800-426-4719 or at http://www.epa.gov/ safewater/

lead.

Monitoring & Reporting Violations &

Enforcement Actions During May of 2012, Defiance WTP inadvertently

missed an EPA required sample for a class of contami-

nates referred to as Synthetic Organic Compounds.

These compounds are Atrizine, Simizine, and

Alachlor. With the exception of the second quarter,

this sampling is performed once every 3 months. Dur-

ing the second quarter sampling is performed each

month. One of those three monthly samples was not

performed which leads us to report this violation to

you the consumer. Safeguards have been put in place

to prevent this from being overlooked again, and we

apologize for the failure. No other reportable viola-

tions occurred in 2012.

About Your Drinking Water The EPA requires regular sampling to ensure drink-

ing water safety. The City of Defiance Water Division

conducted sampling for bacteria, inorganic, radiologi-

cal, and synthetic organic and volatile organic con-

taminants during 2012. Samples were collected for

more than 100 different contaminants, most of which

were not detected in the Defiance water supply. Listed

on the chart in this brochure is information on those

contaminants that were found in the City of Defiance

water during 2012. The Ohio EPA requires systems to

monitor for some contaminants less than once per year

because the concentrations of these contaminants do

not change frequently. Some of our data, though accu-

rate, is more than one year old. However, the Defiance

Water Division is just as concerned about these aspects

of its drinking water. From time to time, rust from the

inside old iron water mains or from your plumbing

may be dislodged by high flow. During certain times of

year, taste and odor problems may occur due mainly to

algae in the raw water supply. Defiance Water is work-

ing hard to control and eliminate these problems from

our water. If you have questions or concerns about

your water, contact the Water Division office at 419-

782-1886.

Definitions of some terms contained

within this report.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Contaminant level (MCL): The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Parts per Million (ppm) or Milligrams per Liter (mg/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contami-nant. A part per million corresponds to one second in a little over 11.5 days.

Parts per Billion (ppb) or Micrograms per Liter (μg/L) are units of measure for concentration of a contami-nant. A part per billion corresponds to one second in 31.7 years.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contami-nants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL): The highest residual disinfectant level allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial con-taminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG): The level of residual disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Action Level (AL): The concentration of a contami-nant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT): A required process in-tended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drink-ing water.

The “<“ symbol: A symbol which means less than. A result of <5 means that the lowest level that could be detected was 5 and the contaminant in that sample was not detected.

IDSE: Initial Distribution System Evaluation. This EPA required study will be conducted over the next several year to evaluate these disinfection byprod-ucts throughout the water distribution system.

2012 TEST RESULTS FOR CITY OF DEFIANCE WATER DIVISION